Of Mischievous Nieces and Exasperated Uncles
by AdorableRetard
Summary: Or where Levi has to deal with the intelligent yet troublesome four year old that just happens to be his responsibility from now on. Did I mention that she was fond of octopuses? AU. Eventual ErenXOc
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Hange Zoe is the last person that Levi Ackerman thought he would look to for advice. She's someone he's known for most of his life even if she is a constant pain. He hadn't expected to find the woman standing outside his door with such a serious expression while asking if he was sure about his choice. When he had phoned her earlier, he guess he should've expected her to appear within the hour though.

"Good day to you too," he mutters, moving aside to let the tall woman in. He doesn't need to voice his order of having her remove her mud covered boots, but he does shoot her a glare to which she gives him a grin. Hange doesn't waste time in jumping onto the very large sofa and Levi scowls as she goes to cover herself in the grey blanket that rests on the black cushions.

"What's this I hear about you getting a kid?" coming to sit in the single seat across from the sofa, Levi ignores her question and instead fixes his face in a slight glare.

"Keep it down, she's sleeping." Spinning around, Hange's spectacles seem to glint as her eyes narrow onto the door that leads into the guest room she usually slept in when she stayed over. Levi could see the smirk forming on her face even before she turns around again and graces him with her teasing smile.

"Who would've thought the great Heichou would get saddled with a kid." Hange pouts when she doesn't get a reaction out of her friend, but seeing his narrow grey eyes having harden further, she finds her smile falling from her face. The serious expression once again comes to her face and Levi can't help but note that he didn't know which side he tolerated more - the goofy persona although annoying wasn't so sharp as she was when she was serious and he couldn't get anything past her. It annoyed him really, but he put it to the back of his mind for now. Now wasn't the time to think of such things.

"...hard."

"What?" Refocusing onto the woman he finds she has began to fiddle with a strand of her brown hair.

"I said it's going to be hard raising a kid on your own," she repeats. "I'm sure you're not going to get help from your family either."

"They don't want anything to with whatever Renee left behind. Not even her kid," he says, voice unreadable just as his face. "Not that I can blame them. My sister did something foolish and now she was paying the price - even in death."

Hange is silent, staring at the male who seems to be lost in his thoughts. Silence takes over the apartment and the young woman has no intention of breaking it just yet. She wanted him to gather his thoughts first.

"Uncle Levy?" A young voice calls, breaking the silence. Hange is startled to find the young child had appeared out of the room, yet she makes no move to part with the closed door. Turning fully, Hange sees that the young girl has not taken her eyes off of her. Having never met Hange, she guesses that's what makes her wary.

Looking at the child, she can see the resemblance between her friend and the girl that looked barely to be five. Thick black hair falls just above her shoulders and her long bangs are parted in the middle, her large grey eyes staring curiously at Hange. Inwardly, the young woman squeals at the sight of the small child in a pair of white onesies that seem to have a sort of pattern - she couldn't make it out from all the way over here.

"Lucy, you were sleeping." Hange can feel the irritation directed to her from his speech but ignores in favor of waving at the girl, a grin coming to her face.

"Hi there. I'm Hange, a friend of your uncle's," Slowly, Lucy makes her way over to where the two sat. "Nice to meet you, Lucy."

"Nice to meet you too." her voice is soft and she seems nervous. Hange blinks when the girl makes a beeline for where Levi sits and doesn't hesitate in climbing into his lap. Although Levi tries to school his features, Hange can see the annoyance flicker across his face. He doesn't make a move to remove the small child from his lap though and Hange cannot help but smirk at the sight.

"Did we wake you?" Lucy shakes her head, eyes never wavering from her stare down with Hange. The young woman cannot hide her amusement and her lips twitch up into another smile.

"Does Erwin know?" Of course he does, but Hange wants to start a conversation now. She needs to know what Levi is thinking - or try to get an inkling of what he's thinking seeing as he's so hard to read - so she needs him to talk.

"Yes," Levi doesn't look away from Lucy who doesn't seem to be listening to their conversation and is instead playing with the stuffed purple octopus she had come out of the room with. "I called him since we came back last week."

"And you only decided to call me today?" Hange pouts. She knew Levi had flown all the way to England to attend the funeral of his sister, and had been MIA for a few weeks. When she had received the phone call just an hour prior, she had been ecstatic to hear from her friend. Even though she had gone into a rant after calming down from her her joy of hearing from him again. What kind of friend went missing for nearly a month and not contact their friends? He had calmly stated he was a such a friend.

"Yes," She can only sigh because it wasn't her who was supposed to be riled up by the other's comments.

"I'm guessing you need a favor or something," Lucy removes herself from her uncle's lap and goes to lie on the carpeted floor, holding her toy above her.

Levi wasn't one to beat around the bush, no matter how embarrassing his request was. So of course he doesn't see anything wrong with him - a notorious business man who was once apart of the military as a high ranking soldier - asking for a little help from one of his most trusted friends.

"I don't know how to raise a child, and so I thought I should ask you." Hange raises an eyebrow at the request as she thought she would be the man's last choice on asking for help on something like this. As if hearing her thoughts, Levi lets out a sigh. "Erwin thought it would be best to ask you first seeing as you have younger siblings you helped raise."

Which is true. Hange was the oldest of her parents' children - eight including herself - and had helped her mother on raising her younger siblings. Matter-of-fact, she still had two to help with now - Hillary who was ten and Kevin who was thirteen - but it wasn't as bad now seeing as Hange was now successful enough to provide care takers to help her mother. Although the stubborn old bat of a mother didn't like it.

"How old is Lucy?" the woman asks instead of answering Levi's question. He knew she would help anyway, no need to voice it.

"I'm four and a half!" It seems the little squirt was actually listening to their conversation. She now sits up on her knees, holding up four fingers to show as well.

"What she said." Levi cross his left foot over his right, eyes glancing down at Lucy before looking back up at Hange.

"She's old enough to start daycare," Hange puts a finger to her chin, pursing her lips in thought. "But I don't think you should send her. Have one of your lackeys take care of her until she's old enough to attend elementary school."

He wasn't planning on sending her either way. He could just hire a tutor and let it be over with.

"No!" Lucy's voice interrupts their conversation. Both look down to the young child to see the frown on her features. "I wanna go to school."

"You'll go to school when you're old enough," Levi says, watching as the little girl turns around to face him. "Until then, you'll stay here and be tutored-"

"I don't want to be locked up in this place," Hange is a bit surprised by the child's vocabulary. Was she really only four? "I wanna go out and make friends."

The two Ackermans seem to be in a contest of some sort as they continue to stare at each other. Hange has to give the girl some credit from not backing down, and she can already see that Lucy was going to be one stubborn kid.

"Alright," Levi relents and Lucy begins to cheer. "But I'll be choosing the daycare you attend."

That was actually amusing seeing as Hange can't really see little Lucy being able to pick the school she wanted.

"Alright," holding out her hand towards her uncle who raises an eyebrow but grasps her hand and shakes it. "You have a deal."

* * *

Petra Ral has been the personal secretary for Levi Ackerman for almost three years now, yet there were things she did not know of her boss. As Olou Bozado - the driver for the business man for five years - had pointed out, Levi wasn't someone who let persons in on his personal life easily. So it really was a shock when her employer called her bright and early one morning and ordered her to look for the best daycare centers located in the area. She of course could not question her boss on why he would need such information and had set out to do her task right away.

Luckily, her answer was the little girl who answered the door that afternoon to her boss' penthouse home. Petra could only stare for a few moments - she looked so much like Mr. Ackerman! - before a smile graces her features.

"Are you here to see Uncle Levy?" The little girl asks, moving aside as Petra numbly nods her head with her smile never once removing from her face. She watches as the child disappears down the hall to Petra remembers to be where his office to be, unsure of what exactly to do. She has been here a few times but she has never had to go anywhere but straight to the doors that lead to the office. She had never had to wait.

"Petra," She is snapped out of her musings as her employer appears, the small child behind him with her eyes focused on the young woman.

"Sir, I have the information you requested of me." Presenting the folder from her bag, she lets the man collect them from her hands.

"Sorry I had you work on your day off," he says, eyes looking through the folder before glancing at her momentarily. "Something came up."

"Not something," mutters the girl as she grips onto the pant leg of Levi's clothing. "Me - I'm Lucy Ackerman, Uncle Levy's niece."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Lucy," glancing at her boss, she finds that he isn't paying them any attention and is instead reading through the folder. Focusing back on Lucy, she gives her another smile which the little girl returns with one of her own. "My name is Petra Ral."

"You work for my uncle, huh," it wasn't a question and the young girl comes to stand in front of Petra, grey eyes curious. "Is it fun? Do you get free food? Do you-"

"Lucy," Levi says that has the dark hair child pausing and looking back to find that his eyes are now on her. "That's enough."

The young girl huffs but otherwise relents and moves toward the living room where the television is, plunging onto the sofa and grabbing the remote. Giving Lucy one last long look, Petra looks back to her boss who lets a sigh.

"As I was saying, thank you for your work, Petra. I won't keep you any longer." Nodding her head, the young woman begins to make her way back to the door - she hadn't even notice that she had taken off her shoes and walked into the house! - but not before a young voice stops her.

"Hope to see you again, Ms. Petra!" Looking back, she finds the young girl waving at her, her eyes taken off from the distracting television show that can only be cartoons.

"You as well, Lucy." The girl beams at Petra and gets a smile in return. "Good bye, Mr. Ackerman. I will see you first thing Monday morning."

The man nods as the young woman walks through the threshold, not waiting to see her off and closes the door.

Blinking at the closed door, Petra lets out a sigh.

Petra Ral has worked for Levi Ackerman for almost three years, yet she is sure she can't say she knows him. With this new information of her boss somehow acquiring a niece, she hopes she can at least learn more of him - if not to make her job even easier. She has this gut feeling that the little Lucy Ackerman will even help in this. She truly looks forward to meeting the young girl again.

* * *

Sitting in the plastic chair for the past hour has made Lucy's butt hurt. The ticking of the clock above her does not exactly help the young girl in staying patient any longer. But she couldn't let this known to the nice receptionist that sits behind the desk not too far from her. Her mother had always admonished her about her patience.

 _"Come now, Lucy. You can wait a little longer, can't you?"_

 _"But, momma..."_

 _"What do I say at times like this?"_

"Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." The little girl whispers out, her throat feeling tight. She didn't want to think about her mother right now. The woman would not be speaking anymore - would not be giving Lucy anymore of her 'life lessons' as she called it - and would not be with her any longer.

Lucy has to bite down on her lip to keep from sobbing. She could feel the tears coming but Auntie Viola - her mother's friend - had said to be strong, so she couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry.

"Lucy?" Looking up, she finds that the nice lady that had explained that she was her mother's lawyer before has appeared once more. She is pretty with hair in a bun and side swept bangs and brown eyes. Lucy remembers the woman had said her name was Annabeth and that she liked chocolate. "This is your uncle, he'll be taking care of you now."

She remembers seeing a glimpse of the man that stands beside Annabeth at the funeral that was two weeks ago. They had not talked, but Auntie Viola had said he was her uncle. He had not stayed after the burial to meet her which had made Auntie Viola quite mad.

"His name is Levi Ackerman," the man is silent and only continues to stare at her. He looked a lot like her mother which means he looks a lot like her. She didn't know quite what to say. So instead of talking, she had got up from her seat and walked over to stand in front of him. He was short - shorter than Annabeth too - and his face was kind of scary.

Lifting her hands up, she continues to stare at the man. He blinks and for a moment must not know what she wanted, but he eventually picks her up. She felt awkward in his arms, but she didn't care because she liked how he smelled. He didn't smell like her mom - who had smelt like baked goods and expensive perfume - but instead he smelt like the clean linen that her mother had always bundled her up in at home along with something else she couldn't place.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she awaits the man to relax.

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Levy." she finally says, eyes closed. She can hear Annabeth talking to the nice receptionist, but paid no mind to them and instead breathed in the scent of her uncle.

It takes a while for him to reply, and she wonders what he thinks of her - a little four year old girl that he didn't know existed until now and was somehow her uncle - and couldn't help but smile a little. She didn't quite care at the moment.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy."

* * *

 **Ah hello there! Welcome to my try at an AU Different world or whatever you call it, fic.**

 **Some things I would like to warn my audience:**

 **Updates will be unusual as I do not have a set date for updating this fic just yet.**

 **Levi will be portrayed kind of OOC due to Lucy. And me because I don't think he would be as hardass here in this world as he is in AOT.**

 **Pairings have been decided with Lucy being paired with Eren (way, way into the future). Other pairings are still a bit undecided so if you'd like to vote for those you can go ahead.**

 **Hange Zoe will be portrayed as female in this fic. Her sexuality though will be bisexual (not that would have much to do with this fic... I think)**

 **This is based off of Usagi Drop (a super cute anime you guys should watch) and the famous movie Game Plan XD**

 **Do review and tell me what you think~!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Lucy gets the idea that her uncle doesn't really know how to take care of a kid. She has only known him for a little while but she has gotten close enough to him that she isn't afraid of asking for lifts and to sit in his lap. The first time she met him she even asked to be lifted - and although he had seemed a little out of it for the first few times, he has still given into it - and it didn't help his case that she liked him right away. That was her first guess he wasn't so used to having children asking for lifts. Right now though...

"I don't like that color," wrinkling her nose she shoves the dark blue shirt away from her. Levi has to remind himself that this was only a little girl instead of telling her something very inappropriate, so he gets up from his crouch in front of her and moves to put back the shirt. Eyebrow twitching while his eyes glances over the rack of clothes, Levi wonders why he has to spend such a lovely Sunday searching for clothes for a rather annoying four year old. He would've asked Petra to come with the little girl, but he didn't want to annoy the woman after having her do work on a Sunday. He also would've put all of this on Hange or maybe Eld, but Lucy had been adamant that her uncle go with her.

"I hate green," His grip on the short sleeved top with cartoon characters decorated across the front tightens as grey eyes meet matching ones. Her mouth is set in a stubborn pout with her small hands folded into fists. He is sure he's never going to have children. Ever.

"Um, maybe she'll like this?" Looking away from his niece, he is met with a woman holding up a light pink dress with frills as a skirt.

"Yeah!" Levi can feel his control slipping as Lucy gets up from the stool and goes over to the woman and collects the dress. She places the dress to her self and twirls, giggling and Levi releases a sigh.

"Girls her age usually likes pink and frills," comments the woman who comes to stand beside Levi. She gives him a sheepish smile. "I have two girls a little older than her, so I would know. Maybe you should let your mother shop for your little girl?"

"Excuse me?" He glances at the woman, face blank.

"You look barely to be out of high school and already having to shop," she lets out a sigh, not paying much attention to the growing irritation that is coming from Levi. "Is the mother not around?"

"Lucy's my niece," he bluntly states. "And I'm twenty four." Levi doesn't wait for the woman's response and leaves, grabbing Lucy by the collar of her shirt and dragging her out of the section. Looking up, Lucy sees the twitching of her uncle's brow and wonders if he was alright.

Feeling her eyes on him, Levi looks down and finds curiosity in its purest form staring right back up at him. Stopping just beside what must be the shoe section of the store, he releases his hold on her. Lucy stumbles on her chubby legs but manages to catch herself before falling.

"You're more trouble than I bargained for." Levi holds his hand out and Lucy quickly grabs it and lets the man pull her along. Soon, they leave the store with bags filled to the brim with different clothing of different shades of pink with lots of frills. The young child seemed content skipping along with her uncle who leads them to the black sedan parked not too far away.

"Where to next, sir?" Olou Bozado asks from the front as Levi closes the door behind him. Looking through the rear-view mirror, Olou watches as his boss struggles with placing all the bags down while simultaneously strapping Lucy into the brand new car seat.

"Food!Food!Food!" The brown haired child chants, hands up in the air. Her dark brown hair was pulled into two uneven pigtails that the driver couldn't help but find cute along with the light pink dress she wore. Levi grits his teeth, wanting to rip the straps off of the car seat. Why was this so complicated?

The click of the seat belt has not only Olou releasing a sigh, but Levi as well. He was this close to destroying the contraction. Looking to his driver, Levi nods his head before confirming their next location.

"Take us somewhere to eat," he orders, relaxing into the black leather seat. "Preferably somewhere that she won't complain about."

"I know just the place, sir." Resting his face into his palm, Levi decides to close his eyes for the rest of the drive ignoring Lucy as she chatted up the driver.

"You like pink too?" Lucy squeals from her seat, hands clutching the octopus to her chest.

"I do," Olou states, voice serious. His eyes never leave the road but there is a playful smile on his lips as he moves the vehicle through the traffic. "It's one of my favorite colors."

"No way," Lucy breathes out, grey eyes wide. "It's my favorite color."

"Oh really?" Their conversation goes on for the rest of the drive, but Levi doesn't pay much attention to it. He had some work to finish up on as soon as they got home - the board was killing him for not getting done sooner - and would more than likely have to spend an all nighter finishing it up. Feeling the car pull to a stop and the confirmation from Olou that they had reached their destination, Levi reopens his eyes and takes in the view of the restaurant from his place beside the window.

"Woah," Lucy seems even more excited as she begins to struggle in her seat. Her uncle on the other hand, was feeling the opposite.

"Is this a joke?" Olou winces at the stare he is given from the mirror, but shakes his head and Levi's stare turns into a glare that the driver has to look away from. If he looked too much into that glare, he was sure to die.

"Let's go, uncle Levy!" Lucy somehow gets the buckles undone from around her waist and reaches for her uncle. Taking a deep breath for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Levi opens the door of the car and quickly exits with Lucy in tow. He was sure if Hange or even Erwin saw him right now, they would be laughing their asses off. Gritting his teeth, Levi shoves the door open welcoming the feeling of AC as it wafts across his skin. The scent of food wafts through the air and the loud voices of children as they ran across the open space has Levi wishing to exit the building right away.

Someone dressed rather ridiculously in a rat suit greets the duo and Levi restrains Lucy from bounding up to the thing. He bet the thing wasn't even washed for days and his hands itched from the thought.

"Hello and welcome to Chuckie Cheese!"

He will kill Olou when he gets the chance. He will.

* * *

Levi is more than happy when they finally leave _that place_ \- he would be happy to see even Hange right now - and he enjoys the quiet that he was forsaken from enjoying for most of the day as he shuts the door to his apartment close behind him. Lucy is faster in removing her shoes and racing to her room with two of the bags in her hands. They were of the lighter baggage and only held what Levi can remember to be underwear and pull up diapers that Lucy had insisted they get.

The short man finally makes his way to the room that is now dubbed 'Lucy's Palace' as is stated on the poorly written slate the girl had made last night mantled on the door. The room is plain and is colored in a light blue which the young child had already stated needed to be changed as soon as possible. Not much is held in the room as it was only a guest room that was hardly used - Levi didn't let people stay over much, he liked living by himself for a reason - and only had a queen sized bed of white and grey sheets and pillows, small white dresser and table with a lamp beside the bed.

Lucy is sitting on the white carpeted floor, the bags toppled over with the purchases splaying out of them. Looking up, she gives Levi a smile which he returns with an unimpressed look. He had made it clear that he liked everything staying clean and didn't wish for anything to be out of order. He guesses that maybe had been a lot for a four - nearly five, he reminds himself - to understand so he opens his mouth to state it once again.

"I'm putting them away. I just want to look at them." Levi doesn't think he has ever met a four year old that is so well spoken before. Not only that but Lucy seems to understand things a bit more than most her age could. He didn't find this odd - she was after all an Ackerman - but it is still startling.

"Don't make a mess," Levi drops the bags in his hands onto the floor and is about to excuse himself when the young child stops him.

"You have to help me try them on, Uncle Levy!" He is this close to just ignoring her words and leaving the room and heading straight to the kitchen. He didn't eat any of the _food_ that Lucy had ordered at _that place_. Not only did everything look greasy and unhealthy, but Levi was just about done with the place when the food had finally arrived. It was only natural that he would be tired and hungry after spending almost half of the day out with nothing more than a cup of coffee and a hasty prepared breakfast.

Turning around, he gives Lucy a look that has the girl snapping her mouth shut not daring to say anything else. From where Lucy sits, the face of her uncle seems even more severe enhanced with the dark marks beneath his eyes that she was sure are permanent since they don't seem to disappear even when he sleeps. The young child gulps, wondering why she is being subjected to such a look when the man finally speaks.

"I have things to do at the moment and I'm also tired," Levi's voice is hard, and he holds back as much irritation he can from his tone. He didn't need for the child to turn into a crying mess. "I expect you to be quiet and not make a mess. I'll check in with you in another twenty minutes."

Lucy flinches when the door closes with a bang. Staring at the bags her uncle had left behind, the girl tries to ignore the burning of her eyes. She has never been talked to so harshly before. Her aunt had been kind and soft spoken during the little time she spent with her, and her mother had always been nice and had patience when dealing with her.

The tears slide down her cheeks and she wobbles over to the large bed and clambers onto it, wrapping herself up in the sheets on the bed squeezing her eyes shut. Lucy gets the idea that maybe she did something wrong today that has made her uncle angry with her. She's guessing it was her behavior and the young child thinks that maybe she had behaved a little too badly with her uncle.

She doesn't notice that she falls asleep, but finds herself being roused from her slumber by hands shaking her gently. Blinking blearily, she is met with her uncle's unreadable expression and the young child releases a yawn while wiping her eyes to try and wake herself up.

"You left the room in a mess," his voice for some reason is soft and it has Lucy looking up to find that he is busy putting away folded clothing away into the drawers of the dresser. She wonders when he had moved away from her and when she had even sat up.

"S-sowie," her almost unintelligent word has Levi looking back to find the girl has her head bowed. He hopes she isn't crying seeing as he gets the idea she was before she fell asleep from the puffiness of her eyes. "I-I made y-you mad."

She is stuttering but she hopes that he can understand what she is saying. Lucy makes no move to look up. She didn't want to see that scary face again. She might begin to cry again if she did.

Placing the last folded garment into the drawer, Levi shuts it before walking over back to the bed. He ignores the gasp Lucy releases when he picks her up and instead heads for the door.

"You need a bath." Is all he says and the duo make their way to the bathroom.

The first time Lucy had seen the bathroom, she had exclaimed about how huge it was and how white and pretty it was as well. The tub is against the wall and is the first thing you see upon entering. Lucy gets the idea that the object is apart of the flooring as it is made with the same white tiles making it blend in with the walls and floor. It is high and Lucy herself didn't think she would ever be allowed to enter it by herself until she was old enough, which really dampens her mood. Beside the large tub is a glassed-off area with a fancy looking shower head and nobs installed into the wall.

Her uncle sets her down on the cold floor and she begins to remove her clothing. He wordlessly collects each item and places them in the grey hamper that sits to the wall beside the rack that holds the fluffiest white and grey towels Lucy has ever seen.

"Do you need to use the toilet?" Levi asks, gesturing to the white fixture but Lucy shakes her head and raises her hands to be picked up again. Placing the young child in the tub, Levi turns on the pipe letting the tub begin to fill.

Bath time is quiet and Lucy doesn't dare open her mouth and instead plays with the soapy water and suds that escape her hair when her uncle begins to wash her hair. His hands move gently and Lucy feels her eyes closing, enjoying the feeling of him scratching her scalp.

"I might have talked to harshly to you earlier," his comment startles Lucy a little, but he ignores it in favor of rinsing her head free of the strawberry scented shampoo that Lucy had proclaimed he was to use since her mother used it as well. It smelt like his sister and he has a hard time focusing on his task of washing the young child clean because of the familiar scent.

"It's okay," Lucy says after a while. Grabbing one of the fluffy towels, Levi gestures for the young girl to stand. Lucy sighs at the feeling of the item wrapping around her form, encasing her in it's fluffiness. "I'm sorry I made you mad, Uncle Levi."

It takes him a while to answer, as he tries his best not to get his shirt wet from Lucy's hair and decides to grab another towel and wrap it around her head. Lucy grunts as her vision is obscured by the garment and tries to free her face to see again. Levi sighs as he fixes it and grey eyes peek out from behind wet hair to stare at him.

"You're forgiven."

* * *

 ** _Two weeks prior_**

"America?" Lucy parrots, staring up Levi with a confused look.

"Yes, that's where I live." Levi says, resting his left foot on top of his other as he tries to make himself comfortable in the small yet pleasant living room of Viola Williams' home. He had been invited over to get to spend some more time with Lucy before they make their departure a few weeks from now.

"I thought you lived here." Mumbles the small child as she places the toy octopus on her lap. She had taken residence on the floor and Levi couldn't wonder if the floor had been dusted for the day. Viola Williams seemed like a busy person and didn't look like she put much time into housework.

As if knowing he was thinking of her, the young woman appears with a tray of what looks to be sandwiches with a jug of lemonade and glasses filled with ice. She is a tall woman having light brown skin and sharp features beneath the boy cut black curls that barely reach her forehead.

"Mr. Ackerman is just visiting here, Lu." Viola states, setting the tray onto the table just a few feet away from Levi. She hands a glass filled with the refreshment along with a small platter that holds three sandwiches to the young man. Giving her a nod of thanks, he begins to eat the snack. "You'll be leaving with him in just two weeks to go to your new home in New York."

"Oh," Levi watches as the young girl nibbles on a sandwich. She pauses and sets the sandwich down, turning to him, eyes bright. "Do you have kids?"

"No I do not." his answer dampers her mood for a moment before she becomes bright again.

"Do you have kids as neighbors?"

"I live in an apartment, most of the occupants are older than myself." Again her mood falls.

"I guess I'll have to make my own friends then." Levi sees a lot of his older sister in this child. From the mischievous look that her grey eyes have to the firm set to her lips has Renee Ackerman written all over it.

Her mannerisms although subtle, does remind him of her as well. That optimistic nature was all Renee that it almost has Levi picturing the young woman in place of the small child before him.

"Lucy is only four years old," Viola states, and Levi looks to the woman who is giving him an unreadable look. "She needs to interact with others her age, so I strongly suggest you get to it right away."

"I'm almost five!" Lucy exclaims, and Levi turns his eyes to the girl who now has her cheeks puffed up while giving Viola her best glare. "I'll be five in April, did you forget, Auntie Vivi?"

"Of course not!" huffs the young woman, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why would I forget something so important?"

"You just did! You have to say that I'm four and a half! There's a big difference, you know."

"Forgive me, Luce. I forgot to add that on." The young child closes her eyes while nodding her head as if content with the apology.

"You're forgiven."

* * *

 **This was actually scheduled to be released until June but I jumped the gun ._. So here's an early chapter!**

 **I have a Tumblr page up that I'm planning to put up previews and other stuff up for all my stories on. So if you're interested do check me out at 'retardsareadorable'!**

 **Thanks for all those who followed and favorited. Thanks to Kazumi-nee for being my first reviewer!**

 **I'll be seeing you guys again maybe a bit into June. So until then, take care!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"Upon looking up suitable foods for a four year old, I prepared your breakfast, snack and lunch." Lucy decides to ignore the mistake in her age (she's four _and a half_!) and instead stares down at the bowl in front of her. It seems so perfect with the setting of the bowl of cornflakes with a small cup of berries beside it and a small glass of milk that the young child is afraid of even picking up the spoon that sits on a white napkin, not wanting to ruin anything.

"You're sure you can eat on your own?" Her uncle's question has Lucy breaking out of her little trance to quickly snatch up the spoon and dip in the sugared flakes and plop a full spoon of it into her mouth. Deciding that that is as much of an answer he'll be getting, Levi returns his eyes to the newspaper in his hands. The Monday morning had come and with it, his niece's excitement of attending school once again, which strangely is displayed not from chatter but jumpiness and the need not to talk one bit. He had found it to be rather relaxing and had happily prepared the girl for her first day.

She now sits in a white dress with pink floral designs across the hem of the skirt that stops just below her knees along with pink flats that matches the outfit and the headband placed on top her head - or so the child had quietly explained to her uncle why she chose the outfit. Levi had tried his best at brushing her hair, but the girl had been so jumpy he had quickly placed the headband on and left her thick dark brown hair alone.

Although his hands itched to brush her bangs, he refrains and waits for Lucy to finish her breakfast. Said girl can barely eat anything from all the butterflies that are flying around in her stomach, but she didn't want to waste her uncle's cooking (although, he didn't really cook) and instead forces herself to finish the stuff prepared for her. Using the napkin, she wipes her mouth clean while proclaiming she is finished to Levi, who peeps from above the newspaper to note that she is indeed telling the truth. He had thought that maybe she wouldn't be able to stomach anything due to her nerves, but it seems he was wrong.

Lucy should have known that the man wouldn't have left the dirty dishes in his shiny sink, and instead watches as her uncle ties a surprisingly pink apron above his white shirt and black pants and begins to wash them. Releasing a sigh, Lucy wishes she could remove herself from the chair she was placed in but it is too high up for her to jump. Her uncle had even had to place two cushions from his living room on the seat so that she could reach the counter top of the island located in his big - everything her uncle owned was big, actually - kitchen.

Her uncle wipes his hands clean before moving to pick her up. Raising her hands up, his hands clasp under her arms and Lucy finds herself place on the floor and looking up, she is met with Levi's gaze. "Olou will be here in the next ten minutes so you should hurry and get your bag so that I can place your lunch and snack into it." Nodding her head, Lucy exits the kitchen and quickly makes her way to her bedroom.

On her bed is the dark pink and purple backpack of Barbie brand, and the young child quickly collects it before making her way back outside. Levi doesn't waste time in placing everything in and zipping the bag up and helping Lucy put it on.

"You're sure it's not heavy?" He asks, hesitant to let go of her shoulder just yet. He didn't need the young girl huffing and puffing over a bag he can very well carry without trouble, but she had been stubborn on the matter that she be the one to do it.

"It's okay." Lucy answers, moving out of the young man's hold and turning around to face him. Her grey eyes are bright with excitement and she didn't seem to be one hundred percent there which has Levi releasing a sigh while straightening up from his crouch. Collecting his tweed coat from the sofa and shrugging it on, he collects his briefcase before looking to the girl.

When they reach the door, Lucy hops from one foot to the next awaiting her uncle in his sweep of the apartment to make sure everything is clean and electronics off before he finally opens the door and they are out. The hallway that leads to the elevator that can only go down - Lucy still hasn't gotten over the fact they are so far up! - is as fancy as the rest of the building and the fact that only her uncle and herself lived up here is kind of awesome.

The white walls with black accents kind of reminded her of inside of her uncle's place although it missed the little splashes of color that he places into it. The floor is even black and white with a fancy design that looks like flowers to Lucy.

Inside of the elevator is big and is always warm every time Lucy has entered it. She can see herself from the shiny silver walls in front of her and she cannot help but make a few funny faces.

Levi tries his best to ignore his niece's antics and instead focuses on the buttons as they glow red every time they left a floor. He hopes he didn't have to share the elevator with anyone this morning, but he knows better. The elevator dings and stops at the number ten where two persons enter. Placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder, Levi continues to stare ahead after giving a curt good morning to the two males that have entered.

Looking away from the very tall man to the shorter one, Lucy thinks they kind of look alike and her brows furrow.

"Are you two brothers?" The voice not only startles the two men but Levi as well, and Lucy's uncle looks down to the girl. The young girl does a great job of ignoring Levi's stare and instead gazes at the two men who exchange looks before a smile comes to their faces.

"We are," The taller one says, green eyes warm and Levi relaxes a bit. It seems he didn't need to reprimand her just yet. He makes a mental note to do so when they leave the elevator.

"Are you the older one?" Lucy asks the man and a full blown laugh leaves the shorter one which has the curious child turning her attention to him.

"I'm actually the older one." Answers the man through chuckles. Lucy blinks and her eyes widen in surprise.

"But you're shorter!" She proclaims and the man nods his head releasing a sigh.

"Derick somehow got taller," Levi tenses a little when the short man squats and motions for Lucy to come closer. Deciding he would do what he had to do if the man tried anything, he lets her go closer so that the man mock whispers in her ear.

"I think he's some kind of giant, if you ask me." Lucy releases a gasp that has even Levi smiling a little at.

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"Good morning, Mr. Ackerman," Bowing his head slightly while tipping his hat, Brandon while pulling the door open for the shorter man. Offering a nod, Levi quickly spots Olou standing to the side of the sleek black car.

"Bye, Mr. Doorman!" Lucy waves the dark skinned man who chuckles while returning the gesture. Hand grasped in Levi's larger one, Lucy walks with a skip to her step and brightens upon see the familiar face of Olou.

"Hi, Ollie!" Levi doesn't think much of the nickname and enters picks the young girl up as Olou collects his brief case and opening the door so that the young girl can be strapped in. "I can climb in by myself, you know." He doesn't answer the girl and instead buckles her up before releasing a sigh when he finally settles in. Olou gives the bag over before closing the door and for a moment, the two are left in a short silence.

New York's noisy streets enter in once again when Olou gets into the car, but is quickly cut off when he shuts the door. Looking at Levi through the mirror above, Olou awaits for orders as his boss finally looks up from the PDA in his hands.

"I'm sure Petra called you during the weekend to give you information on where the preschool is located, so no need for me to repeat. Drop Lucy off then we'll head over to the company." Nodding his head, Olou starts up the car and the young girl relishes in the feel of the air conditioner washing over her exposed skin. Giving Lucy one last look, Levi returns his gaze to the mobile device in his hands.

Although she couldn't see into the car due to the dark windows, Lucy is able to look outside and she enjoys watching the many buildings they pass along with the persons that she often spots walking. Having once lived in the countryside of London, it really is a different view for the young child. She likes it - all the people, the bustling and so many different kind of buildings - and thinks it isn't so bad.

The thought of attending school once more in a new place - an entire new country, at that - is both kind of exciting and a bit scary. Lucy wonders what the other children will be like, what the teachers will be like and school work. Her uncle had been muttering something about not wanting her to attend any other private school if it isn't Rose Marie Academy and would be doing so when she turned the appropriate age for elementary school.

If Lucy remembers correctly, elementary school kids' age started from six which - if she counted with her fingers - are two years away for her. Daycare (or is it Kindergarten?) would have to do for now.

The car comes to a stop and Lucy stares at what can be mistaken for a small house with a small yard out front where she can see a few children playing in the small garden.

Turning off the ignition, Olou watches as Levi puts away his PDA before turning to an unusually quiet Lucy to help her out of her car seat. "Have a nice day, Lucy."

"You too." Even with the butterflies that have appeared again in her stomach, Lucy still manages a small smile for the car driver who tips the hat on his head while returning the smile through the rear view mirror.

She grasps Levi's hand tightly within hers as they pass through the gate and walk down the little path. Levi glances down at the young girl who holds his hand so tightly, gaze frontward ignoring the stares from the children. He hopes she isn't one of the criers that don't want their parent or guardian to leave. He doesn't need that kind of drama, thank you very much.

Upon opening the door, a small waiting area with a desk that has a young woman sitting behind is what Levi spots first.

For Lucy, she spots the bright blue walls and the playing area near the waiting area along with what must be a holder for shoes. The open doorway that is just a few feet away she can see more of the bright walls and a few children playing in a corner.

"You must be Mr. Ackerman," states the woman behind the desk upon seeing them enter. She rises from her seat and offers her hand which Levi takes and shakes before letting go of. "My name is Lola and I'm the owner of Dewdrops. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Lucy zones out most of their conversation and instead turns to the two persons who sit in the chairs in the waiting room. One is a woman that has a child in her lap that looks to be a bit younger than Lucy with very long brown hair. Upon feeling Lucy's gaze, the woman looks up from the book she is reading to the child and gives a Lucy a small smile.

Returning the smile, Lucy looks to the other person that is male with a large nose and chin length black hair. Unlike the woman, he doesn't even notice Lucy's stare and instead continues to read through the newspaper in his hands. Lucy idly wonders what could have these two people waiting in a school.

"Lucy," the call of her name has her looking back to find that her uncle now is looking to her. "You have to go to your class now."

"You're going to pick me up later?" The question makes Levi blink, confused by her asking such a thing.

"Yes. I along with Olou will be here at three to pick you up." Nodding her head, she lets go of his hand and turns to the silent Lola with her lips pressed in a firm line.

"I'm ready, Ms. Lola."

* * *

 ** _Two days before arriving in New York_**

"If I had my own way, Lucy would stay here with me." Viola's dark eyes are unwavering while she stares down the short male. "I don't know what went through Renee's head to let you have her daughter."

"I don't know as well," Levi makes sure not to let any of his annoyance pass through his tone. He didn't want to let this... _brute_ of a woman know she was getting to him. "I haven't spoken to my sister in almost five years."

"Then why are you even here?" Exasperation clouds the dark skin woman's face and she grits her teeth. "You don't know Lucy. It is best to leave her here with people she is familiar with-"

"For whatever reason my sister chose to have me be Lucy's guardian and for me to take care of her," Levi interrupts, placing his chin in the palm of his hand that rests on the sofa's arm. "I will honor my sister's wishes and raise the girl."

Viola is silent as she stares blankly at Levi, lips thinning before she releases a sigh. "It's not like I can do anything now. You're leaving tomorrow." Getting up from the chair, she picks up the tray of empty glasses and turns to head to the kitchen before pausing and looking back. "I just want you to know that I still don't accept this, but I'm letting you go. I'll be calling every Friday and if Lucy even once complains, I'm going to be popping up and getting her. Renee's will be damned."

There's not much Levi can say to that, so he stays silent and watches as the woman disappears behind the thin curtain.

"You can see if she's still up before you head back to your hotel!" Viola calls and Levi releases a sigh before getting up from the sofa.

If he remembers correctly, the stairs lead up to the bedrooms and the bathroom and that's where he saw Lucy go up about an hour ago. Taking the stairs one at a time, he pauses at the top before placing his hand over the knob of the door that has a large pink sign declaring it to be Lucy's room.

The light is still on with the window open making the white lace curtains billow and subconsciously Levi moves to shut it. His eyes find the small girl curled up on the bed, the alarmingly large octopus pillow clutched in her hands while the smaller look-alike octopus that she usually carries around with her is left on top her face.

Picking up stuffed purple octopus, he places it down at the edge of the bed before returning his attention to the sleeping child. As always, it takes him by surprise how much Lucy looks so much like his now deceased older sister.

His hand reaches to brush her bangs away from her face and the child doesn't even stir at the action.

"Heavy sleeper like Renee." He mumbles under his breath when he picks her up and the girl remains dead to the world. Pushing back the pink covers, he slips her under them before placing them over her. Levi doesn't even look to the hideous octopus pillow and instead places the small stuffed toy beside the young girl.

It's been a month ever since he came here to his sister's funeral - a month since meeting his new charge. He still doesn't know what to think of her - Lucy the lookalike - and he wonders if he'll ever come to love this small child as much as he loved - still does if he's being honest - his sister.

 _If she's anything like her mother. I have no doubt._

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 **Surprise? An update!**

 **Just say thanks to SpyAir and their amazing music that they provided for Gintama that made me even finish this XD**

 **If you guys are Tumblr fans, I have a page for my stories called 'retardsareadorable' so you can go over and check it out... (sure I mentioned this last chapter but whatever).**

 **Please do review! Love hearing from you all :)**

 **Until next time...**


	4. Author's Note

**Sorry to say that this isn't an update and it's just me with an important note.**

 **For all those who don't follow my Tumblr, I have to regretfully inform you that I won't be able to update for a while. Due to unseen circumstances, my laptop and my brother being the reasons really, my schedule has been messed up. I cannot give a specific date, but I hope it's not for too long.**

 **I'll try my best to resume as soon as I can and I hope the little one-shots I post on Tumblr are enough to suffice you guys until then (retardsareadorable for those who do not know). Any questions can be sent via PM or leave a comment in the review section and I'll be sure to get to you.**

 **I truly am sorry for any convenience caused and I'll be sure to make it up to you all as soon as I can!**


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